Digital Warriors Book 1: Chaos Heart
by windwarrior234
Summary: Slightly AU: Matsuda Takato, a social pariah, finds himself unexpectedly coming to the aid of a strange creature from another world. Gifted with special abilities, Takato joins up with a group of young fighters in order to defeat evils plaguing both the human realm and the Digital realm. However, dark forces are stronger than expected and Takato isn't sure if they will survive...


**Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon or any related names, patents or characters associated with it. This is purely for recreation and I do not earn any monetary profit from this story.**

**Prologue: The Adventure Begins…**

Despite the bright shining sun overhead, this had to be one of the worse days of his life. Not only did he end up flunking his math test, but he had to put up with Hirokazu and his little gang's teasing and commenting all day. He even had Hirokazu as a lab partner in science class, which just made his day a little worse. They got the work done, but he had to do all of it himself, and then Hirokazu took all the credit! The young brunette let out a sad sigh as he kept his crimson-eyed gaze to the sidewalk, stepping in time with the other commuters who took the good old fashioned heel-toe express to get where they needed to go. He kept his hands in the pockets of his blue hoodie sweatshirt, which was his favorite article of clothing, completing the air of melancholy he had around him. Today, Takato decided, was just not a good day.

Takato couldn't wait to get home. He just wanted to hibernate in his room and forget about the completely rotten day he had today. He'd been doing that more frequently, he had noticed, but he figured that since he didn't really have too many close friends it was pointless to go out and aside from that he didn't want to leave his "comfort zone." His room was his place for solitude and reflection, where he could break away from the chaotic crazy world and just lose himself in the things he loved to do, especially drawing. He could draw mindlessly for hours, sometimes letting whole days fly by without even realizing how the time had passed. So much practice has left him quite a degree of skill, but he was far too timid to actually showcase his drawings. Besides, he didn't want his work to be subjected to the critical eye of people who were just going to tear him down. He'd much rather draw just for the enjoyment of it; he didn't think he'd be able to make a career out of it, though. He was certain he'd end up inheriting his parents' bakery, which was something he wasn't opposed to. He was quite fond of their little shop, and he even started to work there part-time just last month to help his parents out a bit. He got paid and they got to do their own things for a bit, so it was a win-win situation. But, he digressed. He just couldn't wait to plop down in his bed and try to forget the day he had.

Turning onto his street, Takato picked up the pace a bit, mostly because he was glad to be home. His family wasn't exactly rich; they were lower middle class, but they did their best to support their family. It helped that Takato was an only child, so they only had three mouths to feed instead of some other homes where there were at least four or five. Regardless, Takato was content with his family's modest living. At least, he was most of the time; his family's financial status was sometimes a target in the teasing he suffered from at school, but he just found ways to cope with it. He'd probably end up drawing Hirokazu getting mauled by a dinosaur later once he did his homework for the day. Coming to the front door of his home, which was also the entrance to the bakery, Takato was surprised to find a note posted on the door. Frowning lightly, the fourteen year old examine the note further, skimming over the message on it.

_"Dear Takato,_

_We're sorry for leaving you home by yourself, but a family emergency came up, so your father and I had to close shop early to help take care of it. When you get home, please call us. We should be home by five or six, so please be patient. We're hoping this won't take too long, but we'll see…_

_Love, Mom _

_P.S. Make sure your homework is done before we get home!"_

Allowing a small chuckle at his mother's reminder, Takato reached into the pocket of his beige cargo shorts and withdrew a key to unlock the door, opening it with ease. He locked it behind him once he entered, and he tossed his schoolbag to the side in relief. His parents would be gone close to two hours, so he had the whole house to himself for the time being; that definitely elevated his mood a bit. Being fourteen, he was still getting used to being considered old enough to be home by himself, so whenever he was it was like a whole new experience. However, he did have some of his homework to complete, so he decided he needed to handle that first. Though it was very tempting to goof off and procrastinate, he figured he needed to show at least a little bit of responsibility. He didn't have a lot of work, thank goodness, but that fact alone didn't inspire any desire to complete the inevitable task. He'd much rather draw or play one of his video games, but he supposed he didn't have much of a choice. It was the right thing to do, after all…

(Five minutes later…)

Takato's homework sat on his desk, not a single answer filled in yet as the young boy had decided to take some time to rest and relax after his stressful day. There was nothing wrong with wanting to clear his head before he did anything else, especially after a day like today. Instead, the boy's hands were occupied with a small pad of paper and a pen that he commonly used to doodle with. It was his way of dealing with stress; focus on something else and let the stress fade away. It seemed to work thus far, so he was content with it. At the moment, he was busy drawing the outline of a dinosaur-like creature. Admittedly, it was sort of cute, but the teeth and claws made it a little less approachable. Takato added a few finer details, like black markings along the creature's arms, legs and back, in order to add new dimension to the creature. Once the outline was completed, Takato decided it was time to shade it in. Red seemed like the best color for the creature, so he did just that. After the work was done, he smiled fondly at the little drawing. Now he just needed to name it…He supposed that would have to wait until after his homework was completed. That did take priority, after all, even though he really didn't want to bother with it right now. That was just the burden of being a student. The youth sighed and set his pad down on his desk before he turned to his assignments for the night, intent on getting it finished.

As he wrote down the answers to his homework and prepared for his writing assignment, Takato noticed something out of the corner of his eye. Frowning lightly, he turned to look out the large glass door that led out to his small balcony. Outside the window, he spotted something that looked like a shining light. _"What on Earth is that?" _Takato wondered to himself. He watched the light as it fluttered through the sky like an insect of some kind, sinking down towards the ground as if looking for something. It was a very odd spectacle and Takato couldn't help but feel his interest spike watching the little light flutter down. What could it be? It definitely wasn't like anything he'd seen before and his curiosity was getting the better of him. Takato stood up from his desk and grabbed his jacket from his closet, swinging it around his shoulders in preparation to head out. He didn't know what that light was, but he was going to find out. He wasn't sure why he was so interested in this mysterious light, but something about it beckoned to him. It was as if he was supposed to follow it, wherever it was going to lead him. In all honesty, it scared him just a bit, but he felt it was something he needed to do. Despite his growing confusion and unease about the situation, Takato took a small slip of paper and wrote out a small note to his parents, telling them that he had gone out for a walk and he'd return home shortly just in case they got back before he did. Placing the note on the counter, he was quick to leave his abode, locking the door behind him as he jetted off after the strange light.

He noted that it seemed to be going towards an old construction site towards the outskirts of town. The site had been abandoned when it was discovered that the ground there was too unstable to hold the multiplex building they had begun to construct there. They had yet to tear down the structure, mostly because no one wanted to sink more money into a dead project, and so the metal beams and some of the equipment remained there. Takato had a feeling that going there was a really bad idea, but his curiosity and sense of duty wouldn't allow him to turn back. He just hoped everything would be alright…

(Twenty-three minutes later: Abandoned Construction Site: Outskirts of Shinjuku District)

"I must be insane…" Takato muttered to himself as he crawled under a low-hanging steel beam that had been left wherever the workers had decided to drop it. He had seen the light begin to descend towards the far side of the site, which just happened to be blocked by a variety of obstacles. For a moment, Takato felt like he was a character in a video game and he was trying to navigate his way through a convoluted dungeon maze in order to reach the goal at the end. Then he remembered that this was reality and he was probably insane just for even thinking about attempting this. Such a charming thought. However, Takato forged forward, managing to crawl past a number of steel girders that were left behind. _"Whatever they wanted to build here, it was going to be pretty massive." _Takato noted to himself, but he digressed. He didn't really have the time to dwell on such thoughts, anyway. He was supposed to be tracking down that light.

This experience was definitely a new one for young Takato. He had never been much of a daredevil and he wasn't very physically active since he spent most of his time either drawing or playing video games. As a result, his young body wasn't quite as muscularly developed as some of his peers, and he was even teased for the modest amount of padding on his stomach. He was by no means fat, but he definitely wasn't the fittest kid in school, either. Regardless, performing stunts that could be considered a mediocre version of parkour was something that Takato didn't think he was very capable of. Admittedly, it was a bit of a confidence booster to know that he was able to do these things; part of him was disappointed that he wasn't able to show off to his classmates right now. They'd probably be just as amazed about it as he was!

The young boy's journey finally came to end after he leapt off of the side of a crane machine, landing on a ledge overlooking a rather large pit. He wasn't very sure what the pit was there for, but he assumed it was supposed to be used for a sewage or septic system in the new multiplex. It was obvious that none of the work was done for that, however. There were several loose pipes scattered about and the only safe passage down into the pit was a metal staircase that had been installed for the sake of getting in and out. Takato peered down into the pit itself and let out a relieved smile when he saw that the light he had pursued here was staying at the center of the pit. The young boy was quick to jog to the stairs, gripping the side railing before he descended into the large opening. The anticipation of discovery filled his steps with a sense of excitement and he sped up his pace a bit to hasten the procession of events.

Reaching the last step, Takato cautiously stepped out onto the dirt bottom of the pit, eyeing the light with careful regard. Now that he had finally caught up to the light, he knew he needed to tread cautiously; he was dealing with the unknown and with no idea what to expect, he had to be ready for anything at a moment's notice. The adrenaline and nervousness that came from these thoughts made his body shake slightly with fright, but Takato managed to swallow his fear. There was still a bit of a lump in his throat, but he was almost positive that he'd be able to handle this. ..At least, he hoped so. He didn't like the idea of some alien creature turning him into a smoldering pile of ashes. He made it this far, though; he wasn't about to turn back now.

"H…Hello…?" Takato hesitantly called out to the light, and then he immediately cringed out of nervousness. The illumination suddenly began to dim, and the boy looked out once more, only to feel his breath leave his throat when he saw what was emitting the light. It was a small creature, about the size of a hawk, and admittedly it was rather adorable. Takato wasn't sure what to describe it as, but it definitely wasn't something he'd seen before. The little creature purred happily, seemingly rather happy that there was someone else here. It flew over to Takato, chirping and twirling in the air as he did so. Takato panicked for a moment, a bit frightened by this odd creature, but his wave of fear subsided when the little creature suddenly snuggled against his face and neck. Its fur was soft and clean, and it was definitely an adorable creature. Takato couldn't help but chuckle a bit, gently petting the creature on the head.

"Hey, you're pretty cute…" he admitted. The creature trilled happily, perching itself on Takato's shoulder. The young boy really couldn't believe what he was seeing. This was the strangest creature he had ever seen in his life. It was almost angelic in a way, but he didn't think an angel would grace him with its presence…"What are you, anyway?" Takato asked the little creature, who merely tilted its head in a cute fashion, as if displaying its confusion with the question. The young boy merely sighed a bit. He wasn't even sure that the creature could understand him…

"I wonder what I should do with you…" he remarked aloud, frowning a bit in contemplation. Te little creature did seem pretty affectionate, but his parents wouldn't like a pet in the house, especially the flying, glowing, alien-looking kind…The creature suddenly tugged lightly on Takato's shirt, breaking the boy from his thoughts. Looking at it, he noticed that it was motioning to the staircase that Takato had just climbed down to enter the pit. Apparently, it wanted Takato to go back up for something or another. That was weird…

"You wanna show me something, boy?" Takato inquired of the creature, who merely leapt from its perch and flew upwards towards the top of the staircase, perching itself on the railing as if waiting for him. He blinked in surprise, but decided to follow after the creature, climbing back up the stairs he had used to get down into the pit. He wondered to himself if he wasn't insane for following this creature…though of course, this whole thing might be some sort of massive hallucination or something like that. He might have finally lost his sanity and now he was seeing things. That was a scary thought, but not entirely outside the realm of possibility at this point…

The creature jumped back onto Takato's shoulder when the boy reached the top of the steps, and it looked back at the direction Takato came in order to get here. The boy sighed a bit when he realized that going back the way he came was going to be a lot more difficult than just jumping and crawling…He'd probably have to climb a little bit more than he did last time. He really did need to learn how to think things through; one of these days he was going to get himself hurt or worse. Oh well; at least it was a good workout, right?

Suddenly, the creature cuddled itself into Takato's neck, an expression of uncertainty on its face. This caused Takato to frown, both in confusion and concern. What would cause it to hesitate now when it was so carefree a moment ago? "Hey, what's wrong?" he gently asked the small creature. Before he could get any semblance of a reply from the creature, however, he was answered by something far more frightening.

"**Lightning Spear!"**

Takato let out a shout of terror as a large bolt of lightning descended out of seemingly nowhere, striking the ground in front of him and sending him back on his behind. The creature in his arms clung to him and let out something akin to a shriek as another creature jumped down from its perch atop one of the steel beams. Takato screamed again when the creature nearly crushed him, but he managed to roll himself out of the way of the large monster. His crimson eyes stared wide at the creature before him, his throat feeling dry and his body tense with horror. If he wasn't positive that this thing was going to kill him, he'd be more mesmerized by it. It was a quadruped creature coating in silver, holy-looking armor, and it had two large yellow wings which it most likely used to fly. It had a sharp tail ending in a golden point and its neck was long, similar to a giraffe. From its head, a mane of dark blue hair flowed down wildly, and its face was covered by a golden helm, with a horn on its forehead.

"Finally…" it said in a voice that was decidedly feminine in nature, "I've found one…A Digi-Elf, after all this time…" It was obvious that this new creature was staring intently at the one Takato held in his arms, and the boy looked down to it in confusion.

"Digi-Elf…is that…what you are?" he asked it hesitantly, his fear of the situation still clear on his features. The little creature merely nodded a bit as the newcomer stepped forward, alerting Takato and filling him with a new sense of dread.

"Human, release it! I've come this far…I refuse to be denied now!" she demanded. Lightning crackled at her horn at her words, and Takato realized that she was the one who shot the earlier attack at them. Had she purposefully missed, or had he only gotten lucky that he wasn't killed on contact? He didn't know, but at this point, it certainly didn't matter if his death was only delayed by a minute or two.

"W-What do you w-want him for?" the boy asked in reply, his complexion pale. The metallic dragon seemed almost amused at the boy's question, letting out a soft, yet smug, chuckle in reply.

"You are ignorant of the workings of this reality…" she remarked, as if just realizing the statement herself. "The Digi-Elves are servants of the Gods; they are wish-granters, able to make any desire a reality if the proper requirements are met. So many Digimon desire them…most never get the chance to meet even one in the course of their lifetimes. But now…it's so close…I've spent years searching for just one and now I finally found it!" she remarked. "I will finally have the power I've sought so long for! Human, begone!"

As the lightning power charged in her horn, Takato gasped and clenched his eyes shut in an attempt to shield himself from the oncoming inevitability. He knew that it was most likely futile, but he wanted to at least look like he was trying to defend himself. Tears began to fall from his eyes as he realized that today was the day he was going to die. It just wasn't fair…He knew he should have just stayed home. If he listened to common sense, he'd still be in his room, just doing his homework like he should have been, and he wouldn't have to die at the ripe old age of fourteen years old. If only he wasn't such a powerless weakling, then maybe he'd be able to do something…

"I…I wish I could fight back…" Takato whispered to himself, a tear falling from his cheek. The droplet ended up falling on the head of the Digi-Elf, who was looking up at the boy. It purred for a moment before it began to glow softly, something which caught Takato's attention. His eyes opened to see the little elf glowing and he felt his mouth drop open slightly in awe as it flew from his grasp.

"What the…?" the larger Digimon muttered as the Digi-Elf took to the air. The tiny creature suddenly shone rather brightly, the luminescence enough to temporarily rob Takato of his sight. Confused and dazed, the boy didn't understand just what was happening. Did the Digi-Elf take its chance and flee from its pursuer? That was probably for the best, all things considered…but that train of thought stopped when the boy felt a strange feeling wrapping around him. For a moment, he panicked, but this feeling was…oddly warm and comforting. It was almost as if an angel had wrapped his wings around him protectively…Takato thought maybe that was the case and he had been killed while he was distracted, but somehow that explanation didn't seem right.

Maildramon watched in awed horror as a bright sphere of light engulfed the human boy she had confronted. Was this the power of the Digi-Elves, being used right before her eyes? She felt a flash of fury rise within her when she realized that the Digi-Elf had chosen a human boy over her. She had not come all this way to be denied! "I won't let you!" she exclaimed. **"Lightning Strike!" **With the call made, lightning flew forward from her horn at the sphere of light, but a barrier halted the attack's approach, effectively protecting its charge. Maildramon scowled deeply, letting out a low growl as she prepared herself for whatever it was she was going to face.

She couldn't have imagined what she would see.

Takato couldn't begin to describe the feeling he was experiencing, but he felt as if he was strong enough to take on the world. The power flowing into him was something he never dreamed he could feel and admittedly, it was a bit intimidating because of how foreign it was. But at the same time, there was this feeling of warmth and just plain _righteousness _about it that made him believe that he was perfectly safe. As the light faded from around him, Takato didn't even realize that his outfit had changed until he looked down at himself. He was now wearing a suit of slim, red plated armor similar to that of a medieval knight over a white undershirt and matching trousers, along with a pair of dark brown gloves and boots. There was a black insignia on his chest plate – a triangle inside of a circle, with another triangle connected to each point of the center one – and he had a sword strapped to his dark brown belt around his waist. Takato was especially surprised by the sword, which he drew from its scabbard to examine. The silver blade glinted softly in the setting sunlight, and the slim handle and straight guard provided swift and easy movement. Now Takato knew he had to be dreaming; there was no way this could actually be happening. With wide-eyed amazement, he looked up at Maildramon to gauge her reaction to his appearance.

Maildramon was wide-eyed herself, actually having taken a step back in shock. She knew Digi-Elves were powerful…but for them to actually grant a human the ability to fight…She scowled deeply before she began charging lightning in her horn again. "I don't know how you did it…" she remarked, a tone of anger in her voice, "but it seems the Digi-Elf finds you more worthy of its power. No matter…I'll simply destroy you and take it for myself! **Lightning Strike**!" Takato snapped to attention when the attack was called, and he narrowly evaded being struck by the attack. He held his sword at the ready, though his eyes narrowed in observation. He knew he was at a pretty major disadvantage, considering this was his first fight and he literally just got these powers…he wasn't even sure what all he was capable of and right now, he didn't think a simple sword was going to be much help in getting rid of this thing.

"Ah man, I have no idea what I'm doing…" he muttered to himself. He needed to improvise something or he was going to be in big trouble. Takato was forced to jump aside again when Maildramon fired off another **Lightning Strike **at him. That was when Takato recognized something. _"That's it!" _he thought to himself. _"She has to charge energy in her horn before she can fling it at me…if I can cut it off, that might at least keep her from attacking." _Of course, that was much easier said than done; Takato still had to get high enough and close enough to hack it off, and there was no promise he'd get it in one shot, either. Oh well; it was his best plan right now, so he had to go for it. He prepared his sword and, with a leap, slashed upwards at the Digimon's body. Maildramon was quick to dodge the blow, moving her neck out of the way then bringing her wing around in a whip-like motion. Takato, still in midair, brought his sword up to guard it, though the large appendage managed to blow him back regardless.

The boy landed on his back, but he was quick to pick himself up before another lightning strike came down at him. There had to be a way to get to her horn…but what? Takato glanced at the Digimon, then at the pit he had climbed out of just a few minutes ago. The idea struck him then and he smirked a bit to himself in triumph. He then looked to Maildramon. "Hey, if you want this power…come and get it!" he goaded her. He then jumped over the side of the pit, out of the Digimon's sight. Maildramon scowled deeply and let out a fearsome roar before she charged the pit and jumped over its edge as well. She used her wings to slow her descent and glide forward a bit before she touched down at the bottom with a thud. She then swung around, casting her gaze along the pit, only to blink in surprise when she found that she was alone.

"What trickery is this?" she remarked quietly to herself as she glanced around. Where had that boy gone? Had he gained some kind of invisibility power thanks to that Digi-Elf? That's when she looked up and her eyes widened in surprise when she saw Takato standing on the steel staircase, his sword drawn and his foot placed on the railing in preparation to jump. She realized that he had duped her into jumping into the pit on purpose; he was much more perceptive than she had initially suspected. She growled, beginning to charge lightning in her horn again. "Little human brat…I won't be outdone by an inferior creature like you!" she remarked. Takato took a deep breath before he leapt off of the railing, propelling himself forward towards the Digimon with his sword raised. Maildramon blinked in surprise as the boy came towards her, and she panicked when she realized just what he was aiming to do.

"Take this!" Takato shouted before he swung his sword in a diagonal slash. The silver weapon collided with her horn, cutting it off her head as it was still charging lightning. Maildramon let out a startled cry of pain as she stepped back from the surprise.

"Gah! You damned little-" she began, but her insult was cut short by another scream of pain. The lightning she had gathered to strike with had been released thanks to Takato cutting her horn off, and now it was striking the thing that would most attract it – namely, her. Takato watched in a mixture of awe and fear as the lightning electrocuted the Digimon's metallic body, making her howl in pain. He blinked in surprise when he noticed that parts of her body were beginning to disintegrate into a flurry of small, infinitesimal red bits. The disintegration continued until Maildramon was completely gone, her screams of pain nothing but a faint echo that vanished in the autumn wind.

Takato just stared at the spot where Maildramon once stood, letting everything that just transpired sink in. He wasn't even sure what was going on anymore…In a flash of light, his attire changed back to his civilian form, but Takato hardly noticed in his state of deep thought. He didn't even notice the new device strapped to his belt, a red handheld device with a dark blue screen and matching buttons; he was took absorbed in his disbelief. He just fought some kind of…extra-dimensional creature from another world with some kind of strange superpowers or something…The boy gently massaged his temples as he tried to process everything, but he found it was only giving him a headache. He was so confused…nothing really made sense anymore. "What the hell just happened?" he muttered to himself. He didn't notice the little ball of light flying away from the scene, the Digi-Elf having gone off to find another human to help….

"Well, I have to say…that was pretty impressive, kid." a voice echoed out, snapping Takato out of his thoughts. With wide, surprised eyes, he pivoted on his heel and looked up at the staircase that he had just been on. Standing there was an older young man, probably about seventeen or so from Takato's guess, with completely wild, bushy brown hair. He was wearing a blue headband around his forehead, along with a dark navy blue jacket over a dark grey shirt with a single red stripe going across the chest of it, a pair of blue jeans and black sneakers. At first, Takato was intimidated by this newcomer, but looking up into his soft, chocolate brown eyes took away some of that fear. The genuine kindness expressed in the young man's eyes was enough to put Takato at ease…at least a little.

"Who….who are you?" Takato managed to ask, though his tone sounded tentative and uncertain. The older boy just gave a bright, friendly grin and Takato felt himself relax a bit more at the warm expression.

"I'm Yagami Taichi." he introduced himself. "I came here to check out the digital disturbance that we picked up, but…looks like you already took care of it." At that, Takato blinked in surprise, frowning a bit in confusion.

"Digital disturbance…? What do you mean? Do you know what's going on here?" he asked him, a hopeful tone in his voice. Finally, maybe someone can give him some answers here…Taichi chuckled a bit before he nodded.

"Ah, I guess it is pretty confusing for a newbie. Why don't you come with me…" Taichi paused for a moment with a thoughtful expression on his face. "…er…what's your name?" the young man asked with a somewhat sheepish grin. Takato couldn't help but smile a bit himself.

"My name is Matsuda Takato…It's nice to meet you, Yagami-san…" he replied politely. Taichi laughed lightly at the boy's polite tone, waving his hand nonchalantly.

"Nah, just call me Taichi!" he insisted. "But anyway, I'm sure you're pretty confused, so come with me and I'll do my best to explain." Takato hesitated for a moment, thinking about the repercussions of going with this stranger…but he did seem nice enough and it was hard to think that he meant ill will. After a moment, Takato shyly nodded his head in agreement.

"A-Alright…" he said. Taichi merely grinned in reply.

"Then let's go!" As Takato ascended the staircase to meet up with Taichi, he couldn't help the feeling of trepidation that welled up in his stomach. He had a feeling that, whatever he was about to learn, it was going to change a lot of things forever…

**Author's Notes:**

Well, here we are...the first chapter of what I hope to be an exciting and unique adventure involving the Tamers and Chosen Children. As it says in the description, this story is slightly AU for a variety of reasons. The ages of the characters are all slightly older than they are portrayed in the anime and everyone exists on the same planet Earth, so there aren't other "real worlds" to speak of. As for the Digi-Elves, the powers Takato recieved or how the Digimon partners fit into this whole mess...well, you'll have to wait until the next chapter for that. ^.^ An author needs his secrets, after all. Nice reviews do motivate me more, so if you like what you see, please do! The next chapter should be longer, but it will introduce a few more characters into the plot. Until then, have a nice day.


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